The Prisoner of Beauty

Jiang Meng followed the gaze of the leader, Diao Mo, and saw a woman wearing a veil, accompanied by several attendants, walking towards the broker.

……

The longstanding grievances between the Han and Qiang in the western regions were deep-rooted.

However, unlike the conflicts with the Xiongnu, besides the objective reasons of territorial disputes, there were also historical factors due to the misrule of the Han dynasty.

Although Xiao Qiao found the scene unbearable, considering that such practices had always been the norm and that she was new to the area, even with Wei Shao as her backing, she hesitated to disturb the vested interests of the local powerful families. After some deliberation, she decided to leave.

Unexpectedly, another incident occurred. Hearing the young boy call out "Sister" and seeing him endure such a brutal beating for the sake of the Qiang girl, Xiao Qiao couldn't help but think of her own younger brother, Qiao Ci. Unable to bear it any longer, she turned back and quickly walked over.

The steward, seeing that the lady was not heeding his advice and seemed intent on intervening, had no choice but to follow.

The young boy had already been beaten until his eyes were swollen and his mouth was bleeding. The middle-aged broker, still not satisfied, kicked away the Qiang girl who was pleading tearfully beside him and was about to continue the beating when he suddenly heard a woman's voice from behind: "Stop!"

The broker turned around and saw a woman wearing a veil. He was momentarily stunned.

In the western regions, where sandstorms were common, women often covered their heads with cloth to protect themselves from the wind and sand, so it was a usual sight. He took a closer look.

Through the thin veil, although her face was not clearly visible, he could vaguely make out her facial features. He instinctively felt that she was beautiful, and her voice was clear and pleasant, indicating that she was not old.

He then glanced at her clothing. Although the material was of good quality, it was not particularly outstanding.

Finally, he looked at her attendants: a middle-aged man with a goatee and a maidservant. He guessed that she was a young woman from an ordinary wealthy family.

The broker, surnamed Hu, had powerful backing and usually didn't pay much attention to the ordinary wealthy families in Jinyang City. Being a lecherous man, he began to harbor wicked thoughts, eager to lift the veil and see her face. He stopped as she commanded and said with a smirk, "Which family are you from? Shouldn't you be at home sewing instead of coming here?"

The steward was furious and sternly rebuked, "How dare you! Do you know—"

Xiao Qiao stopped the steward and glanced at the dozens of Qiang people tied up on the ground. She coldly said, "How much for all of these people? I'll buy them all!"

The steward was taken aback.

The broker and the onlookers were also stunned. After a moment of hesitation, the broker asked, "You want to buy all of them?"

Xiao Qiao replied, "Did you not understand me?"

The broker finally believed her and, after some thought, quoted a slightly higher price. He expected her to haggle, but before he could even blink, she said, "Take all of them to the government office in the north of the city! Once they're delivered, the payment will be settled!"

The broker was truly shocked.

Last year, Bingzhou had changed hands. Marquis Yan, Wei Shao, had replaced Chen Xiang as the ruler of Bingzhou. The local wealthy families had been waiting for Wei Shao to arrive so they could curry favor with him. They had been on tenterhooks until recently, when news finally came that Marquis Yan had arrived in Jinyang and was staying at the government office in the north of the city. In the first few days, the wealthy families of Jinyang had flocked to his residence, competing to present him with gifts—beautiful women, gold, and silk—almost wearing out the threshold.

Wei Shao was staying at the government office in the north of the city. The broker naturally knew this.

And now, this woman had just ordered that all the people be sent there...The broker hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Madam, are you perhaps joking with me? How can we just casually send things into the government office?"

He had already changed his address, calling her "Madam."

Xiao Qiao coldly replied, "I told you to send it, so just send it. Why all this unnecessary chatter?"

The broker immediately detected the tone of authority that only those in higher positions unconsciously exude, and he dared not be presumptuous. He quickly changed his demeanor, becoming respectful and compliant, repeatedly agreeing. He then turned and loudly scolded the Qiang people who were tied up in a line on the ground, ordering them to stand up.

These Qiang people, as the young man had said, were indeed not prisoners of war but innocent captives from various Qiang tribes around the Huangshui River. Originally, there were nearly a hundred of them sent together, but after wandering all the way from Huangshui, many had fallen ill or died, leaving only these few dozen. Most of them could not speak or understand Chinese. They only knew that it was this young woman with a veil over her face who had bought them. They had no idea what lay ahead as they stumbled forward, driven by their captors.

Xiao Qiao approached the young man and saw that he seemed to be on the verge of death. She ordered the steward to take him onto the carriage as well.

The steward hesitated, seeing the young man was dirty and covered in blood, but to his surprise, the young man showed remarkable resilience. He slowly got up from the ground and bowed deeply to Xiao Qiao, saying, "I will never forget the kindness of my savior! I am too filthy to dirty your carriage, but I can still walk."

Xiao Qiao noticed that despite his dirty and disheveled appearance, his eyes were clear and bright, and he spoke politely, as if he had been educated. This increased her favorable impression of him, and she nodded with a smile.

Chun Niang, who was kind-hearted, had been watching with sadness. She quickly went over and untied the ropes from the Qiang woman's hands. The Qiang woman kowtowed to Xiao Qiao seven or eight times, then scrambled to the young man's side, speaking a long string of words that Xiao Qiao couldn't understand, likely asking about his injuries. The young man shook his head, seemingly comforting her with a few words, then turned and followed the group of Qiang people, limping forward. The Qiang woman hurriedly supported him, her expression respectful. This made Xiao Qiao feel that the two of them didn't seem like siblings.

The thought flashed through her mind, but Xiao Qiao didn't dwell on it. Under the gaze of countless onlookers, she left the market and boarded the carriage to return to the government office.

The onlookers began to speculate about the mysterious young woman's origins, discussing for a while before gradually dispersing. Only a few remained standing in place.

Jiang Meng said, "What is that woman's background? She actually lives in the Jinyang government office! Could she be connected to the Marquis of Yan?"

Diao Mo remained silent, only watching the carriage carrying the young woman gradually disappear into the distance. He didn't look away until it was out of sight.

"Chief, just now I caught a glimpse of a tattoo on that young man's arm, resembling that of the Beihe tribe," one of the attendants suddenly said.

Jiang Meng was startled, then showed a look of disdain. "So he's from Beihe! Living under the noses of the Han people, being captured and humiliated like this is only fitting!"The Beihe people were another major clan among the Qiang tribes of Longxi, second only to the Shaodang. The current chieftain, Yuan Wang, had wielded the staff of leadership for over forty years. A man of considerable wisdom, he guided his people in farming and building homes, gradually shifting from a nomadic lifestyle to a settled one. Under his leadership, the population flourished, and the Beihe clan gained great renown among the Qiang tribes along the Huangshui River. However, like the other Qiang tribes of Longxi, the Beihe people eventually faced pressure from Chen Xiang and Feng Zhao, the Governor of Liangzhou, and were forced to migrate far away.

Last month, when Diao Mo plotted to attack Shangjun, he invited the Beihe clan to join the campaign. However, the old chieftain Yuan Wang politely declined, and the Beihe people remained inactive. After the defeat, Jiang Meng naturally felt dissatisfied when he mentioned the Beihe clan's lack of cooperation.

Diao Mo said, "Everyone has their own aspirations. The Beihe chieftain is highly respected, and his decision not to send troops must have been well-considered. I have always held him in high regard. You should stop speaking nonsense!"

Only after hearing this did Jiang Meng fall silent.

Diao Mo pondered, and the image of the young boy from earlier suddenly appeared in his mind. He felt a sense of familiarity but couldn't recall where he had seen him before. After a moment of hesitation, he ordered a follower to go and investigate the boy's whereabouts. Then, he led his men out of the city.

...

Xiao Qiao had bought twenty or thirty Qiang slaves in one go, leaving the steward utterly baffled.

However, since Madam was pleased, the servants naturally dared not ask any questions. Upon returning, the first thing Xiao Qiao did was order the Qiang slaves to wash their hair and bodies, then dress them in Han clothing and provide each with a pair of shoes. Afterward, they were taken to eat, each given two flatbreads and unlimited porridge.

Once the Qiang slaves had finished their meal, the steward went to ask Xiao Qiao what she intended to have them do.

Xiao Qiao herself didn't know what to do with them. Her purchase at the market had been purely impulsive. Seeing the steward waiting for her instructions, she said, "First, ask them what they want. If they wish to leave, let them go. Do not force anyone to stay."

The steward was dumbfounded.

So, Madam had spent money on so many Qiang slaves just to keep them around for fun.

Not daring to ask further, the steward turned around and called someone who could speak the Qiang language to go and ask the slaves.

At first, the Qiang slaves couldn't believe their good fortune. Not only had they been bought and dressed in new clothes and shoes, but they had also been given a full meal. Just when they thought things couldn't get any better, the young Madam was now allowing them to leave.

At first, no one believed it. They all looked at each other in disbelief. But when they realized it was true, about a dozen of them left. The remaining half chose to stay, saying they had no family to return to and that the journey back to the Huangshui region was too long and perilous. They preferred to stay and serve Madam. There were twelve men and two women, all quite young.

Seeing that the slaves refused to leave, the steward turned around again and reported back to Xiao Qiao.

After some thought, Xiao Qiao instructed that the men be assigned as miscellaneous laborers and the women to laundry duties. If there was nothing to do, they could simply remain idle until she thought of a use for them.

She then added, "Arrange for them to stay in the outer courtyard. They are not to enter the inner courtyard."

This was a precautionary measure. Although she harbored no ill will toward these Qiang people, she couldn't be sure of their intentions.

Finally, there was the pair of siblings. Xiao Qiao instructed the steward to arrange a separate room for them and to call a physician to treat the boy's injuries.

The steward complied with all her orders.

...

A few days later, the Qiang boy's injuries had improved significantly.He introduced himself with the single name Yuan and came again to express his gratitude. When he looked at Xiao Qiao, his eyes sparkled, filled with a sense of gratitude.

That day, he was dirty, and Xiao Qiao only noticed that he had a pair of clear, bright eyes. Unexpectedly, after washing up and changing into neat clothes, his appearance turned out to be quite handsome.

Qiang men, in memory of their ancestors, are accustomed to wearing their hair loose, with a forehead band across their brows.

This young man named Yuan had shoulder-length black hair and snow-white skin, standing there like a slender bamboo. If not for the bruises still visible on his forehead and the corners of his eyes, he somewhat resembled her younger brother Qiao Ci when he was twelve or thirteen.

Xiao Qiao felt even more affectionate and fond of him.

However, the more she looked at him, the less he seemed like the biological brother of this Qiang woman.

If they were not biological siblings, then there must be some hidden story behind their being captured and sold together.

But it was not convenient for her to inquire further.

Moreover, buying him that day was just an impulse, and she didn’t want to pry into others' secrets. So she smiled and said, "It’s good that you’re fine. Some of the people who came with you that day have already left. Once you’ve recovered from your injuries, if you wish to leave, feel free to go. I won’t stop you."

...

That evening, Chun Niang was doing needlework in the room, keeping Xiao Qiao company.

It was already the tenth night since Xiao Qiao arrived in Jinyang.

Wei Shao still hadn’t returned, and there was no new news from the steward.

Not only Chun Niang, but even Xiao Qiao was slowly starting to feel that something was amiss.

Chun Niang glanced at Xiao Qiao, who was bent over the desk, meticulously sketching embroidery patterns for herself, and couldn’t help but say, "My lady, you’ve been here for so many days, and we still don’t know when the Lord will return."

Xiao Qiao didn’t respond to her.

Chun Niang continued, "Perhaps the Lord doesn’t know that you’ve arrived? Since you have nothing to do, why not write him a letter?"

Xiao Qiao’s eyes remained fixed on the embroidery pattern, and she finally replied casually with a smile, "Then, Chun Niang, what do you think I should write in the letter to him?"

Chun Niang quickly said, "Just say that you miss him..."

Just then, footsteps were heard outside, and the steward’s voice followed, "A letter from Xihe County for the lady!"

Xiao Qiao suddenly raised her eyes and stopped writing.

Chun Niang hurriedly got up to receive the letter and returned, happily handing it to Xiao Qiao, "What a coincidence! Just now, I was suggesting that you write to the Lord, and now he has sent you a letter!"

Xiao Qiao took the letter, sealed with wax and enclosed in a bamboo tube, opened it, and unfolded it. After a glance, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her gaze froze.

Chun Niang, who had been smiling broadly, waiting for Xiao Qiao to share the contents of the letter, suddenly noticed her strange expression. Her smile slowly faded, and she asked uneasily, "What’s wrong?"

...

The letter was from Gongsun Yang, who was with Wei Shao in Xihe County.

Three days ago, Wei Shao had decided to return to Jinyang, leaving Gongsun Yang in Xihe County to defend against Feng Zhao from Liangzhou. But before leaving, he suddenly changed his mind and took a small group of men with Gongsun Yang to survey the terrain. Unexpectedly, they encountered a sudden ambush.

At that time, Wei Shao managed to protect Gongsun Yang and successfully break through the encirclement, but his own arm was accidentally injured by a crossbow bolt.

Initially, it was thought to be a minor flesh wound, and Wei Shao himself didn’t take it seriously.

However, the crossbow bolt had been poisoned. Fortunately, he was treated in time, and only the skin was grazed, so his life was not in danger.

But the Lord still had residual poison in his body and was very weak. He is currently recuperating from his injuries.

The Lord did not want the lady to know and strictly ordered that no news be sent.Gongsun Yang felt deeply remorseful and, knowing that the lady was in Jinyang, dared not conceal the matter. He specifically wrote a letter to report it.

Author's note: Unknowingly, we've reached the hundredth chapter~ Let's celebrate~^_^